Mistakes That Cause Tennis Injuries: How to Avoid Them

If you’re new to tennis or haven’t played in a while, it can be easy to strain your back, knees, shoulders, or other areas. Even experienced players deal with frequent injuries, and that’s because it’s impossible to avoid making mistakes while playing this sport. To keep those aches and pains to a minimum, however, you must recognize common errors and take measures to avoid them. Working on your technique may seem like an unnecessary task when you can just hit the ball as fast as you possibly can. However, if you want to improve your game and become a better player, you can’t just rely on brute strength.

You have to work on your technique and make sure that it’s as good as it can be. This applies to all sports, not just golf. When you’re working on your technique, you need to make sure that you’re doing it correctly. What most people don’t realize is that technique is just as important as strength when it comes to sports. But in doing so, you increase your risk of developing nagging injuries that could sideline you for months at a time. It’s not fun getting sidelined by an injury from playing tennis, but recognizing the common pitfalls above can help prevent such an outcome from happening again.

Change up your footwork

Most tennis players move in one of two ways: They either take really big steps or really small steps. If you’re the type who takes big steps, you’ll be inclined to take a very large stride when you hit every shot. To take a larger stride, you must push off the ground with your back foot and then transfer your weight forward. But doing this repeatedly can lead to knee, hip, and back injuries. To avoid such issues, try taking smaller steps. You’ll be less inclined to overreach and transfer too much weight onto your front foot, which can lead to lower-body injuries. If you’re the type who takes small steps, you’ll need to be sure that you don’t rush your movements. This can lead to balance issues that may cause you to fall over while moving around the court. To avoid this pitfall, use a larger number of smaller steps when you’re on the court.

Don't overstride

When you overstride, you take too large of a step with your back leg and then push off the ground with your front foot to bring your weight forward. This places an excessive amount of stress on your knees and hips, and it can even cause low-back pain in some cases. Instead of overstriding, shorten your stride length until you find a comfortable stride length for you. To help you determine the correct stride length, pretend that you are standing on a straight line that extends from the baseline to the net. You want to be sure that your center of mass (where your body weight is located) falls in line with that line every time you hit a shot. To help you find your correct stride length, have a friend stand at the net and mark an X on the baseline. Then, ask him to mark an X at the point where your center of mass ends on the line. Your stride length should fall somewhere in between those two points.

Don't bend from the waist

If you bend your torso forward while hitting a shot, you’re likely bending from the waist. This can cause low-back pain, muscle strains, and hamate issues, among other health issues. To help prevent bending from the waist, try to keep your head, torso, and hips aligned. This will help you transfer the right amount of force into the ball so that you don’t overhit it. To help keep your torso, head, and hips lined up, think about keeping your knees bent, keeping your torso upright, and keeping your head in line with your hips. And keep your hands open and relaxed, about shoulder-width apart. Avoid keeping your hands clenched in fists, which can tire your arms and hands faster. You can also try keeping your hands in a thumbs-up position, which can be a great way to boost your confidence.

Don't grip the racket too tightly

Many tennis players grip the racket with so much force that their knuckles turn white. This extra tension can cause unnecessary stress and lead to errors in execution. It’s important to maintain a loose grip while playing. To reduce tension and increase comfort, try wrapping your hands with a stress ball or stress relief grip sleeves. These products reduce pressure on the hands and allow you to maintain a relaxed grip throughout the match. This is called a death grip, and it can lead to tennis elbow, wrist injuries, and carpal tunnel syndrome. To avoid gripping the racket too tightly, begin by trying to relax your entire body when you grip the racket. This may sound silly, but the more relaxed your body is when you’re gripping the racket, the less pressure you’ll put on your arms. To help you relax your body, try taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling. You should feel yourself relaxing as you do this. You should also avoid squeezing the racket too tightly. Squeezing the racket too tightly can lead you to grip the racket too tightly. To help you avoid squeezing the racket too tightly, focus on relaxing your fingers while gripping the racket. Your fingers should be relaxed and loose while gripping the racket.

Don't rely on only your dominant hand

If you’re a right-handed player who only swings with your right hand, you’re at a higher risk of suffering a tennis elbow or other injury. To avoid this problem, make sure to work with both hands during your training routine. You can do this by switching hands on certain exercises or alternating between hands for different sets. Another helpful tip is to make sure that you’re not bending your arm too far in front of your body when you’re swinging. To avoid relying on only your dominant hand, try to hit shots with your less dominant hand. Doing this will help you develop strength in your weaker hand and reduce your risk of injuries in the long run. To help you hit shots with your less dominant hand, stand with your weaker foot (sometimes it’s your left foot) at the back of the court when you’re on the baseline. This will help you get into a better hitting position with your less dominant hand.

Conclusion

Tennis is a great sport, but it’s also filled with hazards that can lead to injuries. To minimize the risks and stay healthy, you need to wear the right clothing and equipment. If you’re going to play tennis, don’t forget to layer up with the best tennis clothes. These garments are designed to wick sweat away from your skin, which keeps you dry and comfortable. They also have UV protection, which shields your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. And last but not least, these clothes have a snug fit, which reduces the risk of snagging and tearing. While you can’t eliminate the risk of getting hurt, you can minimize the chances by avoiding certain mistakes. To do so, change up your footwork, don’t overstride, don’t bend from the waist, don’t grip the racket too tightly, and don’t rely on only your dominant hand. Doing so will help you avoid a majority of the injuries that tennis players deal with regularly.